So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Saturday, July 9, 2016

How do we change the world?

Our house went on the market yesterday, and we have our first showing this afternoon. That means hide the towels you really use, pull out the ones nobody has ever dried off with; wipe down all the counters, turn on the music, take the dog and get out of Dodge for awhile. We're cautiously hopeful it won't take a lot of showings before our house belongs to someone else.

Our lake home took 367 days to sell, and 52 showings. That was possibly because the lake kept drying up, and pulling up to see a dry-docked boat isn't that charming. We tell ourselves if someone would buy our lake home, with no water in the lake, surely this will sell.

So we take deep breaths, stay the course, and try to live neatly.

In the meantime, my DIL's mother brought a box of peaches to the 4th of July get-together last week, and I'm making a peach cobbler to deliver two streets over. I saw an ad on our neighborhood website, offering 80 barely used moving boxes, and we got them! So now all we have to do is sell the house. The boxes were free-thirty, but I'm thinking delivering hot peach cobbler to say thank you won't hurt anyone's feelings. The people who passed the boxes on are from North Carolina, and when I asked them if they missed their old home, it took the woman about 30 seconds to say 'yes'. That she'd hoped there would be more young children in the neighborhood, and it was very hot. I know how she feels. I've moved so, so many times. As I walk by her house every morning with Miss Lily, I pray for her to find friends soon. To find a good church, for her two girls to make friends too. I'm hoping peach cobbler fresh from the oven will give her hope there are people in this neighborhood worth getting to know. One of our daughters routinely takes a pan of brownies to neighbors when they move in, and I'd love to see this repeated over and over again.

Is it possible pans of brownies, delivered, could change our world? I think so.

We've got family members going through a really rough time right now. My sister's husband has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and it has, of course, absolutely rocked their world. Doctor appointments, insurance issues, etc. etc. etc. I don't know if their neighbors know what they're going through or not, but again a pan of brownies, delivered, wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.

I'm thinking a homemade tuna casserole delivered to their door right now would bring them to tears. Just to know someone around them cares. Someone sees that they're struggling.

At the end of the day, we could all benefit from that. Someone cares we're there. Cares we're feeling a little lost. Cares we're hurting.

A box of brownies from the grocery store shelf runs about $1.50. The really good stuff, with layers of chocolate, is still under $2.00. Maybe something we should all keep in our pantry, and see who needs a delivery every week or so.

When I had our last baby, our boy, one of my dear friends owned a grocery store. She was a busy lady, worked full time, on the go. I still remember her showing up at my door a few days after I brought him home, and handing me a raw roast. She told me, 'stick this in your crockpot, throw some carrots and potatoes on top, turn it on low for 8 hours.' Another dear friend brought me a new set of sweats and a top, one size bigger than I normally wore. She told me, 'these will fit now - they will be comfy. Give them away after you lose your baby weight.'

Of all the gifts I've ever received from friends over the years, these two still stand out and they were both 33 years ago. Both were so practical and yet so caring.

About 20 years ago, I took this same barely teenage boy, and early in the morning we shoveled the driveway of the woman who lived in the house across the street from us. She was a whipper snapper of a woman, but she'd recently had hip replacement. I remember him asking me why we were doing it? Why shovel someone's driveway we didn't even know? I told him, 'so she'll know someone cares.' It not only helped the woman, but it trained him to make helping others a way of life. If you see a need, meet it. Today, he's a grown man who is quick to help others. So are our two daughters. That has to be taught, or better yet, caught, and we parents are the ones to live it out in front of our kids. It's our job!

In light of all the unkindness out there right now, surely each of us can do a little something to make the world feel like a better place for someone else. It's really the only way anything will change, by us doing something about it, one person - one family - at a time.

Bev I really needed to hear this post today! I have become complacent in this area, and really needed to be reminded again of reaching out to others! Bless others and we in return are blessed! Love yout blog.....I have been reading since you lived in PA and were packing up to move to Texas! ��

Beth, sad how much can change in such a short time, but life is just hard much of the time. I don't remember who said it (Ghandi?) but we DO have to be the change we want to see, and we can do it one kind act at a time.

Karen, bless you for following me for so long! Life is often a winding path, isn't it? I'm convinced that when we bless someone, anyone, it not only comes back to us, it keeps on going. Thanks for taking time to say hello.

Good words, Bev; we could do with more kindness in our world these days. I'm so sorry about Barb's husband; that's a tough diagnosis to hear. I used to read her blog and enjoyed it a lot. I'll be praying for them.

Neighborliness is always nice; my husband is so much better at this than I. he tends to be better at getting out and helping with lawns, shoveling driveways etc... I love to share, too, and I don't know why I haven't thought of just baking brownies and sharing them. Everyone loves to be remembered. (And I love to cook, but we never finish the sweets. May as well share with neighbors as with co-workers). I am so sorry to hear of Barb's husband's diagnosis. I always loved her blog, and hate that they are facing this. Prayers for them all.

Kelly, I'll pass your kind words on to Barb. And brownies - I think it's in the book, 'Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I learned in Kindergarten' or something like that - 'never pass up a homemade brownie'. And if they're baked in your home, they qualify!

Samantha, sorry I can't answer the 'anonymous' thing. Sometimes technology is just a bit ahead of me. The first time I left a reply to a comment here I had to register, and I'm not sure if you did that or not. Sorry for the confusion. Barb's blog was wonderful - maybe someday she'll open it up again. I'll pass your thoughts on to her.